News Archive

Join PolarTREC educator Sarah Slack and researcher Frank Nitsche who will be presenting from aboard the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer somewhere in the Amundsen Sea. Sarah and Dr. Nitsche will discuss the fieldwork investigating the Thwaites Glacier, surrounding waters, and seafloor in West Antarctica. They will also talk about what it's like to be part of a large research team and how it is to live on a research vessel. This event is free and will take place Monday, 9 March at 7:15 AM AKDT (8:15 AM PDT, 9:15 AM MDT, 10:15 AM CDT, 11:15 AM EDT).

Find out more about what Sarah is learning through her journals on Thwaites Offshore Research here.

The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) seeks a creative professional to use web-based skills to advance Arctic science coordination at a critical time in the Arctic research enterprise. IARPC is seeking a Web Manager & Community Coordinator who will be responsible for managing its online user-driven collaborative website called IARPC Collaborations. This will be a contracted position, managed through ARCUS. The application deadline is Wednesday, 25 March 2020, 5:00pm AK.

The February 2020 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes three articles: “Long-Term Research Addresses Resilience of Beaufort Sea Lagoons,”
an overview of ongoing ecosystem research in these Arctic systems; "MicroFEWs: Exploring the Impacts of Local Renewable Energy Projects on Remote Arctic Community Security and Resilience,” a summary of how this program explores those connections in remote Arctic communities; and “Alaska Fire Science Consortium Addresses Management Information Needs,” a discussion on collaborative research that involves end users in developing fire management resources.

Sun Journal article coverage of two Edward Little High School teachers's, Jenn Heidrich and Erin Towns, both selected for PolarTREC expeditions. Jenn Heidrich was selected to go on the Warming and Removals in Mountains of Northern Canada expedition in Yukon, Canada, and Erin Towns was selected to go on the Greenland Subglacial Tremor Project to Ilulissat, Greenland.

The 2019 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) Post-Season Report is now available. The SIO is a community network activity led by the Sea Ice Prediction Network – Phase 2 Project Team, with contributions from key partners, to advance our understanding of the state and evolution of Arctic sea ice cover. This report includes in-depth discussions and analysis of factors impacting sea ice this past summer, the SIO contributions, regional observation, predicted spatial fields, Antarctic contributions, seasonal sea ice forecasting for the Alaska marine shipping industry, and a summary from the Sea Ice Drift Forecast Experiment (SIDFEx).

SEARCH scientists examine how best to use science to help communities respond to rapid climate change in the Arctic in this new article from Eos magazine.

A recording is now available of the Arctic Research seminar with Jim Thomson, Senior Principal Oceanographer at the University of Washington's Applied Physics Lab. Thomson's presentation explored "Ocean Waves in the New Arctic", as the rapid decline of summer sea ice cover in the Western Arctic has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in the sea state of the region.

The preliminary draft of the 2019 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) Full Post-Season Report is now available for community review and comment prior to final publication in mid-February 2020. Sea Ice Prediction Network members are invited to provide comments on all sections of the draft. To provide input, please reference the line number(s) in the document that correspond to your comments. Comments may be submitted via email to Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

Deadline for comment submission: Monday, 10 February 2020 at 6:00 pm (AKST).

For questions, please contact Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

The January 2020 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes two articles: “NOAA Arctic Report Card 2019: Brief Summary” highlighting discussions on key land, ice, ocean, and atmosphere observations that are included in full report; and “Development of UArctic’s Thematic Network on Collaborative Resource Management,” an overview of the network’s activities to better leverage the knowledge of local experts in resource management decisions.

ARCUS invites registration for our next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Jim Thomson, Senior Principal Oceanographer at the University of Washington. This seminar, titled "Ocean Waves in the New Arctic," will be held Friday, 7 February 2020, 08:00 a.m. AKST (12:00 p.m. EST) online via Zoom.

The ARCUS Board of Directors is pleased to announce today the appointment of Helen V. Wiggins as its new Executive Director. For the past year, Wiggins has served as ARCUS’ Interim Executive Director, and has held the position of ARCUS’ Director of Programs since 2008. “ARCUS is very pleased to recognize Helen’s expertise in managing ARCUS’ programs, staff, and the complexity of our membership community. She has repeatedly demonstrated her capability at leading the organization to success in numerous endeavors,” said ARCUS outgoing President of the Board Audrey Taylor.

ARCUS and the Inuit Circumpolar Council Alaska are pleased to announce the 2020 call for Arctic Indigenous Scholars. Three scholars will be selected to travel to Washington DC to share their views and build relationships with policy and decision-makers. We strongly encourage hunters, culture bearers, and those active in their communities to apply.

ARCUS' Arctic Calendar is an online, searchable calendar of major meetings and events relevant to the arctic science, education, and policy communities. It serves as a community resource for tracking and publicizing major Arctic events and conferences, and to help avoid conflicting meeting dates. It is updated daily.

We encourage anyone organizing a meeting, seminar, or webinar to submit the event for inclusion on the calendar. We also welcome other Arctic organizations to link to the Arctic Calendar. Events can be submitted through the online form at: http://www.arcus.org/events/arctic-calendar/submit or by emailing calendar [at] arcus.org

Join Weddell seals in the icy cold waters of Antarctica in this video by PolarTREC Teacher Bridget Ward. Watch the video!

ARCUS invites registration for our next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Jeffrey Brooks, Social Scientist at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). This seminar, titled “Science and Traditional Knowledge in Decision-Making: A Federal Agency Shares its Experience in Alaska,” will be held Tuesday, 7 January 2020, 10:00 a.m. AKST (2:00 p.m. EST) online via Zoom.

The December 2019 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes two articles: “The Future Shape of the Greenland Geodetic Network,” an NSF-funded Research Networking Activity (RNA) that aims to make data from this series of global navigation satellite system installations more accessible and to foster innovative research and “Permafrost Discovery Gateway: A New Online Platform Supporting Knowledge-Generation from Big Imagery” an NSF-funded project that will create pan-Arctic data products and provide easy access and discovery of these large datasets through visualization tools accessible through an interactive web browser.

The Polar Technology Conference is planned for 10–12 March 2020 in Boulder, Colorado. The goal of the meeting is to link experts in polar science and technology development to discuss current technological resources for polar research and identify barriers to research and application of technology for problems unique to polar regions. Abstract submission has been extended until 7 February 2020, 5:00 p.m. Alaska time.

Happy Holidays from all of us at ARCUS! We look forward to doing great work in the new year!

The SEARCH Sea Ice Action Team partnered with the Bering Sea Elders Group (BSEG) by hosting a two-day workshop with elders from the Bering Sea region in September 2019 to develop the first Indigenous community contribution to the NOAA Arctic Report Card. A short video, which will ultimately be part of a larger video series called "After the Ice", showcases this workshop and some of its participants. The workshop focused on recent environmental changes across the Bering Sea region and the impacts on the local Peoples of the region. The elders' contribution to the Arctic Report Card can be found here.

ARCUS will be celebrating Antarctica Day by hosting a LIVE, real-time event with PolarTREC educator Jocelyn Argueta from the South Pole Station in Antarctica. This event will take place on Friday, December 13, 2019 at 8:10 AM Alaska Standard Time [9:10 AM PST, 10:10 AM MST, 11:10 AM CST, 12:10 PM EST]. Learn more about Jocelyn’s adventures at the South Pole here.

Join the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, held 9-13 December 2019 in San Francisco, California.

ARCUS staff and board members hope to see many of our colleagues and friends—and meet new ones—at the ARCUS-related events at AGU this year!

A list of other Arctic-related events and sessions taking place during the AGU Fall Meeting is available through the ARCUS website.

This issue includes a summary of NSF’s FY2020 solicitation for Navigating the New Arctic (NNA); a call for community input on development of the IARPC Arctic Research Plan 2022-2026; Arctic Data Center news about a new semantic search product; news about the recently funded International Permafrost Coastal Systems Network; news from U.S. Arctic GEOTRACES of a novel public outreach program; Arctic social science focused articles about recommendations to protect the ecosystem habitat in Bristol Bay, a cross-cultural collaboration effort to improve Native Alaskan wellbeing, and a school-based sled-building project in eastern Greenland; updates on the SEARCH program, the Arctic Indigenous Scholars program, the PolarTREC program, the Sea Ice Prediction Network–Phase 2 project, and plans for the 2020 Polar Technology Conference; comments from ARCUS board members and Interim Executive Director Helen Wiggins; and a highlight of ARCUS member institution, the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS).

CANCELLED
NOTE: This event has been cancelled due to lack of satellite availability. There is a possibility that it could be rescheduled. We'll announce it on the website, if that happens. Thanks for your patience and interest!

ARCUS will be celebrating Antarctica Day by hosting a LIVE, real-time event with PolarTREC educator Jocelyn Argueta from the South Pole Station in Antarctica. Learn more about Jocelyn’s adventures at the South Pole here.

SEARCH will hold a Town Hall at the upcoming AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA, on Friday, 13 December 2009 at 12:30-13:30pm PT, in Moscone West - 2003, L2. In this town hall, SEARCH seeks best practices and ideas to further improve how we share knowledge of the Arctic with policy makers. Other SEARCH-related events will include a Permafrost Carbon Network meeting and several sessions and talks.

On Tuesday, 10 December 2019 from 3:00-5:00pm, please join ARCUS and IARPC Collaborations for our 2nd Arctic Funders Meet & Greet networking event at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, CA. This special event will provide an informal opportunity for Arctic researchers to connect in-person with multiple agency program officers to gain insight into each organization’s Arctic research funding interests and opportunities. There is no cost to participate and you do not have to be registered for the AGU Fall Meeting to attend.